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like a science fair

Last night was probably the best thesis session of the semester. For the first time we had outside critics come and review our work. Everyone pinned up on the 1st floor of Wurster and sat by their research as professors mingled around and struck up conversations.

I found it really easy to explain my ideas at first, and then as the night progressed it became increasingly difficult--I was trying to grapple with the previous critique and how that was already beginning to shift my thesis focus. It was particularly illuminating when fellow students would say something like "you know, this whole semester you've been presenting about war, and I just don't get it. You're such a happy guy, why do you want to focus on death?" There's probably a lot to unpack in that. It's also, on the surface at least, a really macho thing to look at war. Precisely: I'm interested in dissecting the machoism inherent in a lot of architecture, the force of the object, the preponderance of the machine.

I got a lot out of the few hours standing up there. There was a lot of lively discussion--I think the thesis is indeed alive and well. I just feel really proud of my class, and happy to be in this place.

Now I am looking more towards the road ahead, a year unknown. My thesis, I feel, is bound to change.